


The Trickster ANBU

by HollowSpiritFree



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-06-29 01:09:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15718821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollowSpiritFree/pseuds/HollowSpiritFree
Summary: My take on two classic tropes: Naruto is promoted to chunin alongside Shikamaru, but Tsunade has an interesting stipulation.





	1. Ultimatum: A Twist in Fate

She rubbed the ache from between her brows and glanced longingly at the second draw on the right side of her desk, where she knew a slim green bottle rested between thick manilla folders. Unfortunately, she needed to be coherent for this next meeting - such were the consequences of responsibility. With a subtle hand gesture, she dismissed her ANBU  guards.

 

“Congratulations, Shikamaru. Check in with Kayo at the front desk before you leave; she’ll have your vest and a few scrolls to get you ready for the meeting on Thursday. Oh, and … send Naruto in on your way out.”

* * *

 

“Hey, granny! What’s up?”

 

“I’ve been reviewing the performances of the participants in the last chunin exams, Naruto, and I have to admit that some of the things I saw while going through your file impressed me. You showed a strong resolve during the first exam, and though no one was very impressed by that blank test, most of the proctors were rather surprised by how well you were able to rally the other examinees with your outburst. That’s a sign of good leadership potential. That you were able to survive an attack from Orochimaru at all in the second exam is astonishing, even if he wasn’t trying to kill you then. You could have shown a little more technical skill during the third exam, but you did manage to win both your matches, and showed a fair bit of fast thinking in each. Then to stave off the attack of a tailed beast … The Fourth is still revered for such an act - it’s certainly enough to warrant a field promotion.” She caught the look of surprise and growing excitement as he realized where this was going. “I’ve also seen that you’re a quick learner when you apply yourself, so I believe that with some dedication you can reduce the impact of your weaknesses fairly quickly. That’s why I’m willing to offer you a promotion to the rank of chunin - with some conditions.”

 

“Huh? Conditions?!” Naruto cried. “What else do you want me to do, Granny?”

 

“That’s pretty simple, brat. I want you to stop calling me that! I also want you to begin taking your other skillset more seriously.”

 

“Other … no. I told Pervy Sage I don’t want to rely on that stupid fox. I’ll improve on my own or not at all!”

 

“That’s not what I was talking about, Naruto. In fact, I think the mindset that you’re making that decision with is quite commendable, though I’d also recommend considering this: the Fourth Hokage gave you access to a very powerful tool when he sealed the Kyuubi into you. Like your Uchiha friend, you have access to a type of power that very few other people do, which could be useful. You don’t have to rely solely on the Kyuubi - a well-rounded shinobi is a long-lived shinobi - but it would be beneficial for you to consider training to better use the Kyuubi’s powers in case you ever did need to. Would you be able to accept losing a teammate that you wouldn’t have if you’d been able to use the Kyuubi’s power? But I digress. When I mentioned your other skill-set, I was talking about the pranks.”   
  


“Huh? What’s that got to do with being a ninja?”

 

Tsunade sighed. “Naruto, when I was reading your file, I came across a couple of interesting things. You used to be quite the prankster when you were a child, weren’t you?”

 

It looked like Naruto tried, but couldn’t quite hide a smirk. “I guess you could say, that. Sure.”

 

“Why did you stop?”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?”

 

“The skills you were developing with those pranks - the planning, setup, and execution, not to mention literally  _ getting away _ with them - they’re important skills for a ninja.”

 

“But … Jiji said it was … unprofessional. He said I should stop when I graduated, otherwise no one would take me seriously.”

 

Tsunade glanced out the large windows, looking over her village. The sun shone down over the long stretch of brightly stuccoed buildings and was only obstructed by the lush swells of pockets of trees.  _ Ah. Were you trying to protect him, then, sensei? You had to know that couldn’t last forever. _ “No, Naruto. I think Third-sama was trying to give you good advice but in the end really only pushed you away from your true potential. A lot of ninjas, very powerful ones, build careers focused on similar skills as what you were doing - though they’re pulling much more dangerous pranks. Pranks that you might already have a good idea how to pull.”

 

“What do you mean, Granny?” And he was well and truly confused, Tsunade realized. Well, she could show him what she meant.

 

“You know, there was an incident, a few years ago. Someone snuck into ANBU headquarters and defaced the masks of a number of our operatives before stealing their clothes and other private property and displaying the stolen items around the village. The perpetrator was never caught. Someone who is capable of something like that ... they would be a very valuable asset to the village. That person chose not to harm the sleeping operatives in the headquarters that night, but they could have slaughtered half the ANBU forces, which arguably would have made escape easier. That intruder, they showed an incredible amount of skill in one of the most important of all ninja arts: stealth. Especially after the Uchiha Incident, a security breach like that should have been taken much more seriously, but because of the nature of the incident and the fact that no one was hurt, once the targeted ninja got over their bruised pride, the incident was mostly forgotten. Mostly, but not entirely - there is a system for reporting unusual situations, of course, and someone managing to break into ANBU headquarters, undetected… that certainly qualifies as unusual. Tell me, Naruto. How did you do it?” 

 

“Why are you blaming me, huh, granny? Just cuz it was a prank doesn’t mean I’m the one who pulled it.” 

 

“Are you telling me you wouldn’t paint the masks of several prominent ANBU operatives bright orange and hang their undergarments from the flag poles?”

 

“Hey! It was pink! Just cuz I wear … orange … all ... the time…” He had cornered himself, and he knew. He hung his head in shame. “What do you want from me?”

 

Tsunade produced a small pile from her desk, and slid it across the smooth wooden surface. Resting on the desk was a simple green vest, standard issue for every shinobi of Konoha rank chunin and above. On top of the vest lay an artfully detailed mask. Everything about the mask, from the sharply slanted eyes painted in solid black to the wicked curve of the mouth and the way the red paint at the chin looked like blood - it chilled him to his bones, as was no doubt the intent. This was an ANBU mask, the sign and symbol of the most elite shinobi in Konoha, and Naruto had no idea why it was in front of him. Of course he knew he was good - he’d saved the village from the one-tail pretty much all on his own! Sure, Gamabunta had helped a _ little _ , but...  

 

“You’ll be promoted to chunin, both because protecting the village from a rampaging tailed-beast is certainly an act worthy of promotion and because you showed a great deal of determination and cunning on-the-fly strategy during the exams and the subsequent battle,” Tsunade said, voice unwaveringly calm, and that same flutter of excitement swept through his stomach again. “However you’ll also be joining the ranks of ANBU. You’ll perform all of the duties of a chunin, including leading teams of genin and other chunin on C-rank missions and participating in B-rank missions with other chunin, but you’ll also begin performing black ops missions with an ANBU squad in a few months. I’ll provide you more information about that later, however in the meantime you’ll be undergoing the general ANBU training and be tested for specialization - though I already have a good idea of where you’ll fall. After the two month long, intensive ANBU training, you’ll begin specialized training. Each ANBU division has a set of core skills that they demand proficiency in from their operatives. Specialized training is where you’ll work on those, though you’ll also have time to work on individual skills. Throughout this whole time, you’ll also be taking on missions outside of ANBU, and though most ANBU keep their positions secret voluntarily, you’ll be  _ expected _ to keep your training and position in ANBU a secret.”

 

“But … Granny, the ANBU are … well they’re the best, ya know? I mean, not that I’m not totally awesome, but … I …” He met Tsunade’s calm gaze. There was understanding there, but also steel. “Everybody knows the kind of stuff ANBU do, Granny. I don’t know if I can do that,” He admitted. 

 

“I’m afraid it’s not an option, Naruto. You of all people should understand, now if you hadn’t already, that the Hokage, possibly more than any other ninja in a village, must be able to make hard decisions for the good of the village. In this case, having someone of your skill not working in an area that maximizes that potential … it’s unacceptable. You’re able to defend yourself and stand on the front lines, you’ve proven that. But that’s not where your true strengths lie, and I refuse to let you neglect such talent. I’m afraid that if you refuse the mask, I can’t give you the vest, either.

 

“So what do you say, Naruto? Both … or neither?”


	2. New Beginnings: The Initiation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who commented and left kudos on my first chapter! I do have a good idea of where this fic is going, and I plan on trying to release a new chapter each week. However, I am a sophomore in university, so sometimes fanfiction must take a back burner. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!
> 
> As always, I thank you for any kudos, feedback is appreciated, constructive criticism is adored.

He was late. Any other day and he’d be cursing, shouting out apologies before he even had his destination in sight, bemoaning his supposed transformation into his own lazy, perpetually late sensei, but today… 

 

He turned into the alley that would let out by the little red bridge his team had taken over as their meeting site and let out a sharp expletive when the corner of the wall brushed against his left shoulder and almost brought him to his knees. The pain, it was unbelievable … Tsunade had warned him it would be sore.

 

Today was a special case, he thought. And Tsunade was a damn liar.

 

“Naruto! You’re even later than sensei!” Sakura cried when he came into view, obviously frustrated. Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei glanced up from their tasks (brooding and perving, respectively), then must have got caught in his aura of awesome or something since they just kept staring. Sakura’s voice softened in confusion. “Huh? Why are you dressed like that?” 

 

> _ “Alright, brat, we’ve got a few things to get done before I can send you on your way. We need to get you set up with the tattoo - it binds you to me and will grow warm when I need you in my office. Can’t have people just delivering letters to my ANBU, now can I? And after that, we’re going to get you some new clothes.” _
> 
>  
> 
> _ “What?! What’s wrong with what I wear, granny? Huh?” _
> 
>  
> 
> _ “Brat! That orange is an eye-sore as is, but throw green on top of it? As someone who considers themself something of an Aunt-like figure to you, I can’t let that happen!” _
> 
>  

So now he stood before his team wearing the black shirt (short sleeves still long enough to comfortably cover the itchy, burning new tattoo on his arm) over a long sleeve mesh shirt, both tucked into the heavy duty navy blue fatigues that most ninja in Konoha wore which Granny and Shizune had bullied him into. He had to admit that he did look like a really awesome ninja, but he missed his orange. Already so much of his life had changed today, and he thought that the admittedly bright jumpsuit might make the day that little bit easier, like catching a glimpse of the sunset every time he passed by a reflective surface.

 

Numbly, he held up the vest that he’d had slung over his arm.

 

“Sorry,” he croaked. “Granny took forever-”

 

“ _ You made chunin?! _ ” Sakura screeched.

 

He scratched the back of his head, eyes closing in a nervous grin. “Heh, yeah. Pretty cool, right?”

 

There was a moment of silence, and then, “See that, sensei? That’s a  _ good _ reason for being late.”

 

He really loved Sakura.

 

“Ok, kiddos, before I let you go for the day, let’s chat.”

 

They gathered in front of the memorial stone, sitting in a circle in the grass. “What’s up, sensei?”

 

“I’m sure you’re aware, Sakura, but Naruto’s promotion will change team dynamics. Being a chunin means that Naruto won’t always be working with us anymore, for training or on missions - he’ll be busy with his own duties now. When he does join us for missions, he’ll be serving as my second in command now.”

 

“Sensei … how do you expect that to work?”

 

“Well, let’s take that C-rank mission to Wave as an example. If something like that were to happen now, as soon as I was unable to lead, you would be expected to defer to Naruto’s judgement.” He noticed his two genin looking a little uncertain, maybe even a little affronted, and he didn’t bother suppressing his amused grin, what with the mask and all. “You shouldn’t look so scared, Sakura, Sasuke. Naruto has shown he’s got something of an affinity for quick thinking. He was able to convince you both to stand your ground, and he came up with a good plan to rescue me from that water prison. The only difference really is that in Wave we were stalled while I recovered. Now, if anything like that were to happen, Naruto would be in charge of communicating with the client and their family and would be the one directing you while I recovered. If I died, he would become the leader for the rest of the mission.”

 

This time all three of his students gave him strange looks. Sure, Kakashi-sensei was a perv, but they didn’t like to think of him dying.

 

Inside his own head, where no one could hear him doubting himself (except a nosy Yamanaka, he supposed, but he didn’t want to think about that right now) Naruto wondered if he was really up to the mission ahead of him - his new life.

* * *

 

The tattoo begins burning in the middle of the night.

 

He’s always been a pretty heavy sleeper, but there’s no way anyone could possibly sleep through this. It’s a heat from within his skin, not like the kyuubi, not like something touching him, but from inside, only as deep as the ink. It gets him on his feet in an instant.

 

It takes him longer to recognize what the burning means. When he does, he immediately jumps out his window. Skirting through the shadows, only faintly darker than the rest of the village at this time of night, he crosses the village much quicker than he ever could during the day, and is slipping through Tsunade’s window in under three minutes.

 

Immediately after, he has to throw himself to the side, rolling on the floor to dodge a heavy folder aimed for his head.

 

“Brat!” Tsunade snaps. “Learn the body flicker jutsu. It’ll help you travel around the village without being detected. And stop coming in through the window!” She tosses a scroll at him - this he actually catches. “That’s your ANBU uniform, and a map to the training facility. Report there at midnight for General Training. I’ll be covering you for the first week. After that trainees are allowed to rejoin society during the day; you’ll be working with Team 7 or assigned to chunin-level missions that won’t take you out of the village for the duration of your training. Now get out of here - you’ll want to get as much rest as possible before Initiation tomorrow.”

* * *

 

His heart fluttered nervously in a way that it really hadn’t since the last time he took the Academy Graduation Exam. It wasn’t so much the uniform - although the mask redirected his warm breath against his face in a way that made him sort of uncomfortable, and the weight of the katana on his back was awkward and unfamiliar - and it wasn’t really the way the air sat still and especially humid for a summer night in the Land of Fire, so much as it was a deeply ingrained reaction to meeting new people. He wore the mask and cape with the large, loose hood that latched onto the molded ears of his mask and completely covered his hair and was pinned with a sturdy fabric badge that designated him a trainee, but he still worried about how people would react to his presence. 

 

He arrived at the training center five minutes early, and noticed in surprise that the guard - a full-fledged ANBU wearing a white cape (to denote his seniority and leadership, Naruto had learned from one of the scrolls Tsunade leant him) - nodded in approval when he landed softly before the entrance.

 

“Rabbit,” the guard murmured, and checked something off on his clipboard. “Report to room 311.” He had turned back to the yawning expanse of dark woods before he even finished his sentence. Naruto turned to enter the building, when he suddenly noticed he couldn’t move his feet. He craned his neck down to see a shadow winding its way up his legs. In mere seconds, it was wrapped around Naruto’s throat, and he twitched but could not escape.

 

“In ANBU, we demand polite respect for our superiors.”

 

_ What?! Was this guy  _ serious _? What did he want? _

 

“Thank me,” the guard intoned, as if he could read Naruto’s mind.  _ Maybe he could _ . ANBU were supposed to be super weird and strong like that…

 

“Thank you!” Naruto cried.

  
“Sir.”

 

“Th-Thank you, sir!” He gasped out.

 

In an instant, the shadow dissolved, and Naruto swayed on his feet. “Dismissed,” the guard said.

 

As quickly as he could, Naruto hurried into the building. He waited until he’d rounded the corner to slow down a little and rub his throat, but by then he was in danger of being late, and if there was one thing he refused to do…

 

He slipped into room 311 a minute before midnight.

 

“Welcome, Rabbit. Right on time. I appreciate punctuality.” Sounded like he knew Kakashi-sensei. Made sense. Wasn’t Kaka-sensei some super awesome ANBU a long time ago?

 

“Alright, trainees, I am Lion. I am a member of the Black Ops division, and I will be your primary instructor for General Training. We’ll be focusing on making you the best, most well-rounded shinobi you can become as quickly as you’re capable of. But that starts tomorrow. Today is Initiation. After this ceremony, you will all officially be ANBU trainees. For you sake, I hope you’re up for what comes after.”

 

They were lined up in alphabetical order according to their codenames. After Initiation, they would be given positions in formation according to their performance in each class, they were told. 

 

There was a small stage on which Lion stood. He directed the trainees to kneel, and then lead them through their Oath of Service. 

 

_ “I am a shinobi of Konoha, _

_ I serve the citizens, the Hokage, and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire _

_ I will always place the mission first, _

_ I will not turn my back on duty, _

_ I will do what is necessary to carry out my orders, and protect my charges, _

_ And defend the Will of Fire.” _

 

There was a moment of silence, their voices echoing off of the walls, the Oath lingering in the air long after the sound had faded. For that moment, Naruto spared a glance at the shinobi on either side of him, not daring to turn his head. In that moment, he felt for the first time like he really, truly belonged somewhere. It was an odd sensation - he knew he had a place on Team 7, that Sakura and Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei were his teammates and would defend him, but it had taken them time and a few near-death experiences to reach that point.

 

Lion let the moment stretch, just a bit, before he cleared his throat. “You are now all ANBU trainees. Your first class will be at sunrise in room 210. Report to Tiger for your bunk assignment. Make sure to be on time. Dismissed.”

* * *

 

Bright and early in the morning on the first day of what was supposed to be the most grueling training of his life, Naruto noticed something.

 

That in itself was apparently something worth commenting on, if you asked Sakura, but Naruto was a little  _ concerned  _ about what he’d noticed.

 

He’d always been fairly short, usually the smallest one in his class, at least compared to the other guys. But here, in this classroom, this was something else. Because everyone else in the class was a good foot or so taller than him. That was when he realized - they were all adults. Probably not as old as Kakashi-sensei - who wasn’t actually old at all, it was just that most of the shinobi who were going to make it to Jonin-level or above usually did so before the age of 25, and then died or retired within the next 20 years - but they were all definitely older than Naruto, by a good few years. Naruto wondered if that meant the instructors were going to be more lenient toward him, or if they expected him to be some sort of prodigy like Sasuke and Neji. He doubted he was going to be lucky.

 

Lion materialized at the front of the class. It was the Body Flicker jutsu, Naruto recognized, the same jutsu Tsunade had told him to learn.

 

‘Hello, Class,” Lion said, and then stood there, for a moment, before the trainees realized they were expected to reply.

 

“Good morning, sensei,” they chimed. Naruto thought that it really was just like going back to school.

 

“Good. As you’ve likely already been told, in ANBU we expect good manners and respect from every shinobi. Today, we’ll be breaking down the structure of ANBU - there’s not much information publicly available about our organization, for security purposes, but this information is important to the smooth completion of our daily tasks, and as such you’ll be expected to remember what we cover today. 

 

“To start, we’ll go over the different divisions within ANBU, of which there are five. Each of you, following the completion of your General Training, will be accepted into one, or multiple, divisions. If you are accepted by multiple divisions, you’ll have a choice in the type of work you’ll perform in the Hokage’s service. The Five Divisions are as follows: Strategy and Command, Intelligence, Black Ops, the Crisis Teams, and Hunters. Within each division, there are groups of shinobi that work in more specialized areas. Strategy and Command, for example, consists of the Hokage, the Heads of each Division, Ambassadors, and select shinobi that advise the Hokage in times of conflict. This is the most public of all divisions. In contrast, the shinobi in Black Ops perform what are usually the most sensitive missions, in secret. The shinobi that are picked for each division are chosen based on skill set and mentality.”

 

It went on like this for hours. Lion explained the inner workings of each division in detail - except for Black Ops, of course. When, after four hours had passed, Lion said they’d be moving on to kenjutsu training, Naruto could have wept for joy.

 

He was itching for some action. He had no idea how much he was in for.


	3. ANBU 101: The First Tests

“It’s not uncommon for a shinobi to have never even held a katana before this training session,” Lion said. “So we won’t be overly harsh in our corrections today, but you’ve all been chosen for ANBU because you’re exceptional shinobi. That means we expect you to learn quickly. Grievous mistakes made after today will result in strict punishment - this training isn’t just for you, it’s for your comrades and your village.”

 

Lion and his assistants, Monkey and Tiger, carefully demonstrated the proper hold and the correct form of each kata, then made their way down each row making corrections on nearly everyone. They ran through the katas for nearly an hour before being paired off for spars.

 

Naruto faced off against a big man - of course, all of the other trainees were larger than him, as he’d noticed, but this guy was huge! He wore a mask of a grinning coyote, and barely bowed before their spar.

 

They slid into the ready position, and waited for Lion to call out, “Begin!”

 

The Rabbit and the Coyote circled one another. Naruto inched his guard up just slightly further above his chin. “Aww, is the Itachi-wannabe hiding?” Coyote sneered under his breath.

 

Now, already that was an insult. No one wanted to be compared to a familicidal sociopath. But Naruto had grown up with the single living victim of Itachi’s crime and had considered Sasuke a close friend since their mission in Wave. So this comment was an unspeakable offense.

 

He was used to acting without thinking. And he learned primarily through doing. The katas they’d just spent a few hours going through were ingrained in his head.

 

So was the habit of doing things he wasn’t supposed to.

 

Without a second - or even really a first - thought, Naruto dropped his guard. The action was so quick, and surprising enough, that Coyote responded in turn. He took a startled step back, hands dropping.

 

He left himself wide open.

 

Naruto struck quickly. A single, fast and twisting step forward, katana hilt to the solar plexus - the center of his gut. Coyote carried himself like a chunin - too cocksure to be a jonin, but still competent. He was a highly skilled shinobi of Konoha. So of course while the blow winded him, it didn’t quite double him over the way it would have if he were a citizen. That’s not to say that Naruto wasn’t a heavy hitter. Coyote’s arms started to move, like he was going to protect his belly or try to defend himself.

 

Naruto didn’t let that happen.

 

The slight hunch put his ducked head perfectly in proximity for Naruto to drop his katana and launch himself forward. He slipped his hands into Coyote’s hood, grabbed his ears, and yanked his head down, nose impacting solidly with Naruto’s knee. Blood leaked out beneath the mask and all over Naruto’s pants, and left smears on the cheek of Coyote’s mask when he hauled back and slammed his knee into Coyote’s face again. At that point, Coyote was finally getting his wits about him. His arms flew forward, to push Naruto away.

 

Naruto released him before Coyote could grab his wrists. With a final movement, he stepped back, and then kicked Coyote right in his stupid, grinning mask.

 

His arms wheeled wildly as he careened backwards, stumbling and tripping over his own feet and landing sprawled out on the floor right in front of Lion.

 

Lion turned his attention to Naruto, and even though his face wasn’t visible, Naruto could tell he was being _looked_ at sternly.

 

“Rabbit,” Lion intoned. “You were instructed to practice your kenjutsu with Coyote. You were not instructed to battle him. This will not happen again.” He turned his impassive, masked face to Coyote. “Stand. ANBU are expected to be able to defend themselves. Do consider this before antagonizing your classmates again.”

 

Lion walked off, scribbling something in his journal. Coyote scrambled to his feet. He returned to the ready stance, and this time Naruto and Coyote sparred without any snide comments. As they were dismissed to the canteen, Naruto though he caught a few respectful nods headed his way.

 

He may have been reprimanded, Naruto mused, but it was like anyone else would have been. Here, he wasn’t the demon boy. Here, he was Rabbit. And Rabbit was accepted.

 

ANBU really was growing on him.

* * *

 

They continued kenjutsu training for the rest of the week. To Naruto’s surprise, of the twenty or so trainees, in the first week three of them disappeared. Owl was the only one they saw get dismissed, after proving completely unable to learn to use a katana. His blade went flying through the air above the rows of trainees, only to be caught by Monkey, who sheathed the blade and then said, flatly, “Owl, you’re dismissed. Report to the Hokage.”

 

The next day was the last day of their first week of training, and they had their first exam. It was a lot like the graduation exam from the Academy, actually. Their overall skill was assessed and ranked in a bunch of different things. There were the basic three, obviously - ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu - but their skills in kenjutsu, and sealing - which was actually called fuuinjutsu - and finally stealth and assassination technique were also tested.

 

“Your schedules for the next month will be determined by your scores in this exam,” Tiger informed them. “You will take remedial lessons for those sections you receive insufficient scores in. You will still train in those areas you receive satisfactory scores in, though, and you will continue to attend general training. A well-rounded shinobi is a long-lived shinobi.” Naruto remembered Tsunade using the same phrase.

 

Monkey stepped forward. “Let’s begin. We’ll perform the tests privately. Bear, we’ll begin with you.”

 

Naruto watched a tall man with long brown hair disappear through the door with the instructors. In the quiet, the trainees seemed to acknowledge that there were others in the room with them for the first time. Naruto heard a scuff behind him, and turned to see Coyote looming before him. He felt his shoulders tense, and his stance widened a little, shoulders twisting slightly. Defensive, but not overtly so. He hoped.

 

To his surprise, Coyote bowed deeply.

 

“I apologize for my offensive words, Rabbit. I underestimated you because of your size and because I believe you are young. However, there have been many young shinobi who served with distinction. Clearly, you are one of them, and I should not have let preconceived ideas cloud my judgement.”

 

Naruto stood in stunned silence for a moment, and watched as Coyote shifted, as if peeking up at him, and then said, “Sorry. I’ll just-” before he finally found himself speaking.

 

“It’s alright,” he heard himself say faintly. “I mean, it’s not alright to judge people without getting to know them, but I forgive you.”

 

There were murmurs from some of the observing trainees. He realized he was continually drawing attention to himself. He wondered whether that was a good thing.

 

Most of the trainees were called out before he was. When it was finally his turn, he stood on shaky legs and followed them down a dark hallway.

 

“In ANBU, we don’t care what your identity is under that mask. What we care about is what you can do. You’re going to spar with Monkey,” Lion said. Naruto considered whether it was because he knew who Naruto was, or if he had told everyone this.

 

He sparred with Monkey. First with taijutsu only. He lost spectacularly - Monkey fought with odd, jerky movements that Naruto couldn’t get a read on. He couldn’t dodge, and he definitely couldn’t get inside his defense. In a matter of minutes, Naruto was laid out on the mat, winded, with bruised pride, but otherwise uninjured. It was probably the most embarrassing loss he’d ever experienced.

 

But then they sparred with ninjutsu.

 

Just like with Mizuki, and almost every fight he’d been in since, he used his clones. He could tell that Monkey was overwhelmed by the numbers he suddenly faced, but he wasn’t an ANBU for fun. He could handle an army of flimsy enemies that went down with one hit.

 

So Naruto had to be tricky.

 

Under the cover of smoke created by the destruction of a group of clones, Naruto created one more, which he transformed into a pebble. He dove out of the horde of clones, carefully positioning himself.

 

When the dust faded, he was alone.

 

Monkey looked him over for a tense minute, before he approached. Naruto slid into a simple stance, as if he was prepared to spar again. Then Monkey stepped closer, and in an instant, it was over. His clone released the transformation and slid a kunai up against Monkey’s throat. “Kill.”

 

He waited a moment for Lion to call the match, and then dispelled the final clone. There was silence except for the scratchy sound of Lion writing in his journal again.

 

They tested his genjutsu, which he failed miserably at, by asking him to dispel an illusion. One minute he could see Monkey and Lion standing in front of him, the next he was plunged into darkness. He spun wildly, but couldn’t see a thing. After a second, he took a deep breath. It was just a genjutsu. He just had to break the genjutsu.

 

He brought his hands up into the ram seal. “Kai,” he said, as calmly as he could.

 

Nothing happened.

 

He tried again, and again, but still he was blind. With a deep breath, he gathered as much chakra as he could. “Kai,” he said, for the fourth time, with more force.

 

The darkness seemed to ripple, but was still there, even after he had done his best to disrupt it. He didn’t know what else to do. Panic began to settle in. As he struggled to find anything in the darkness, he didn’t notice his chakra coiling, responding to his stress by rushing faster through his body. What he did not know was that this particular jutsu responded to the stress of the ninja it was cast on. As he panicked, the genjutsu grew stronger, beginning to affect more senses.

 

He felt something brush against his back, and whirled around, only to stumble over the edge of the mat. He crashed to the ground, letting out a hoarse shout and snatching a kunai from the pouch at his hip which he held in front of himself as a small measure of defense.

 

He also unknowingly released a burst of chakra alongside the shout, which disrupted to jutsu. One moment he was on the ground, waving a kunai in front of himself, blind. The next, he was still on the ground, holding a spool off ninja wire threateningly toward the row of empty desks at the back of the room, sunlight burning his pupils.

 

Sheepishly, he stood, and pocketed the wire. Lion wrote in his journal.

 

They didn’t even ask him to attempt to cast a genjutsu. They asked if he knew any seals. He did not. Finally, they laid out a sheet of paper. It had the blueprints for a building, with a little ‘X’ off to the side of one room, and little circles placed periodically in hallways leading to the room and around its perimeter.

 

“It is not uncommon for ANBU Black Ops mission to include the assassination of a target for the benefit of the Land of Fire. If this X was the target, how would you go about assassinating them, provided the circles are guards?”

 

He shifted uncomfortably at first. He’d known something like this was coming - from what Tsunade had said, it was basically the reason he was here. But it was still horrible to think about. To plan someone’s death? That wasn’t what Naruto did - sure, he could be sneaky, even mean sometimes with his pranks. But he had never intentionally hurt someone.

 

Still, Granny Tsunade was expecting him to give this his all. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck nervously and, finally, he examined the blueprints. There was a window _there_ , but … no, that guard would hear. Poison was overused and traceable, not to mention if the target was a noble - like they’d probably have to be to afford that many guards - then they’d have a tester to ensure their food wasn’t poisoned. Really, the guards and family were the best way to get in the door, like when he pretended to be Sasuke to figure out how Sakura felt about him. Then…

 

“Watch the guards, for awhile. Everyone falls into a schedule, even when they try not to. Once I knew when one of them would be alone for a few minutes, I could use something like a knock-out smoke bomb to get them out of the way. Then I’d assume their identity, and follow their schedule as usual - which I’d know based off surveillance. At night, when the target went to bed, I could get into their room and strangle them, then hang them. Make it look like a suicide. Exit casually, don’t release the transformation until I’m out of view. If the death is figured out to be assassination, it falls on the guard who wouldn’t remember anything from that time.”

 

They didn’t answer. Lion scratched in his journal again. Finally, he said, “Thank you, Rabbit. That will be all. You can return to the village and report to the Hokage. You’ll be expected to return to the training center every midnight. Training schedules and class rankings will be posted when you arrive. That will be all.” Naruto bowed and ran off.

 

It was time to walk in the sunshine again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing even close to a schedule... 
> 
> Also, I was planning on adding a picture of Naruto's mask, but I can't figure out how. Anyone willing to offer some advice?
> 
> As always, I love reading your feedback.


	4. A Walk in the Sunshine (A Cloudy Dawn)

Naruto got back into the village ten minutes past six in the morning. He changed out of the ANBU uniform and into his new clothes - taking a moment to savor the protective weight of his chunin vest as he shrugged it on - just outside the wall. After that, it was easy enough to sneak past Izuna and Kotetsu, those lazy guards, but he was really starting to see the value in that body flicker jutsu Granny had told him to learn. And speaking of Granny…

 

He shot through the window with a loud, “Good morning, Granny!”

 

“You’re kidding me. This idiot made chunin?” He whirled around to see Shikamaru’s team standing before Tsunade’s desk. 

 

“This idiot is now your superior, Ino. Show some respect,” Asuma said. Naruto tried his best to hide the face he really wanted to make at  _ that word _ . But suddenly he felt it. There was a tenseness in the air…

 

He leapt to the side, sprawling on the floor as something large and heavy flew past where he had just been standing. “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that, you brat?! Or to use the damn door?” Tsunade snarled. She took a calming breath (and a swig from a suspicious green bottle) and then said, “But I’m glad you’re here. Team 10, thank you for your report. You’re dismissed.” She waited until Team 10 had left, before turning a smirk on Naruto. “So, how has General Training been?”

 

He shrugged. “Alright.”

 

Tsunade just looked at him for a minute, until she either was satisfied with his answer, or just decided not to push it. Then she nodded and produced an envelope, which she passed to him. “I’m going to make use of you while you’re in the village,” She informed him. “That envelope contains sensitive information that must be taken straight to the Daimyo. This is considered a C rank mission, since you’ll be staying in the Land of Fire, but you should still treat this seriously. I’m giving you a squad of genin - some of your classmates, actually - to assist you. It’ll be good experience for all of you; you should learn to lead effectively, and they should perform missions without the safety net of their instructor. The team will meet you in front of the Hokage tower at ten o’clock.” 

 

Naruto bowed - a habit that was already ingrained in him from GT - and noticed the quirk of Tsunade’s brows before he turned to leave. Through the door, even.

 

Tsunade stopped him.

 

“Oh, Naruto? One last thing…”

* * *

  
  


He stopped by his house to stock up on supplies - fresh kunai and a full set of rations - before he made his way to the gate. He was just about to round the corner when he heard a loud, familiar voice calling out, “All I’m sayin’ is, who does this guy think he is, makin’ us wait like this?”

 

He checked his watch quickly. Fifteen minutes early. He leapt into a tree above the waiting genin and considered how he wanted to make his move.

 

He wouldn’t have a problem getting Shino and Hinata to follow his lead, he knew, but Kiba was another situation. He prided himself on being an ‘alpha.’ He could be goaded into following, at first, but Naruto knew that eventually he’d have to earn Kiba’s respect as a  _ leader _ , and not just a friend, in order to ensure the mission went smoothly.

 

He thought about what he knew of Yuhi Kurenai, the sensei of Team 8. She was the newest jonin to take on a genin team from their year. She was a genjutsu mistress. She was known  to be serious, but kind and considerate as well. A firm but compassionate leader. 

 

He could work with that.

 

He dropped down from his perch behind Team 8, noticing that even Hinata didn’t react. He waited a minute before he couldn’t hold back the chuckle, and when the team spun around in surprise, he lounged back again the wall and said, “Man, if waiting for someone who arrives fifteen minutes early is hard for you, you wouldn’t have survived being on Team 7. Kakashi-sensei could be three  _ hours  _ late sometimes.”

 

“Naruto.”

 

“Naruto?!”

 

“Na-Naruto-kun…”

 

He smiled brightly, doing his best imitation of the way Kakashi-sensei could smile with his eyes. “That’s my name!” 

 

“Why are  _ you  _ leading our mission? I didn’t even know you made chunin! What about Kurenai-sensei?”

 

He stood straight, rolling his shoulders back.  _ Showtime _ . “I’m leading Team 8 on this mission because Kurenai-sensei can’t. I don’t know why. Maybe she just got sick of someone’s attitude… Other than that, Granny Tsunade thought that this would be good experience for all of us. It’s a chance for me to lead and you to get away from your sensei in a mostly safe way.”

 

“Mostly safe?” And that was Shino. Almost as observant as Shikamaru.

 

“Is anything about being a ninja  _ safe _ ? But what I meant was, there’s not much chance you’ll be seriously injured on this mission. Less, if you do what I say.” 

 

“I find myself wondering if you included that last part because you know something about this mission, or if it’s because you, as a new team leader, wish to demonstrate your superiority.” Shino again, of course.

 

He paused, and struck a ridiculous thinking pose. He said, “Let’s go with the second one, ‘cause that’s in character, ya know?”

 

He couldn’t tell for sure, but he thought he could sort of see Shino narrow his eyes through the dark lenses of his glasses. Hinata, who had looked happy when she saw him, now looked worried, but at least Kiba was properly cowed for the time being. 

 

So with a shrug, he turned, threw his arms behind his head, and said cheerfully, “Alright, let’s get going, then!”

 

On the way out of the village, they passed the training ground where Team 10 usually trained. He met Asuma-sensei’s gaze and nodded respectfully.

 

They were just about to pass through the gate when someone called his name.

 

He looked over his shoulder, and dropped his hands from their place behind his head. He grinned widely. “Hey, Iruka-sensei!” 

 

He was pulled into a suffocating hug that smelled of kunai cleaning oil and wood and happiness. “You made chunin!“ Iruka-sensei exclaimed. 

 

“Yeah!” He preened, just a bit. “I keep meaning to visit you, but Granny’s been keeping me and Shikamaru real busy. Actually, we were just about to head out,” he gestured behind himself toward Team 8. Under his breath, he said, “If Kiba doesn’t stab me at the end of this mission, we should get ramen when we get back. I’ll even pay this time!” He finished with an impish grin.

 

Iruka glanced over at Kiba. “Already having trouble?” He asked Naruto.

 

“Not really, it’s just. Well, don’t hold it against Granny or the jonin senseis, yeah? It’s the best option we’ve got.” With that vague explanation, he squeezed Iruka-sensei’s arm, and then twirled around, hands finding their ‘traveling place,’ and called out, “Alright, kiddos, let’s go!”

 

Even through the queasy feeling in his gut at Naruto’s serious statement, Iruka couldn’t help chuckling as he watched him go. 

* * *

 

“We’re delivering the message directly to the Daimyo. It shouldn’t take much more than a few hours,” Naruto told Team 8 as they bounded through the trees.

 

They made good time, only stopping once for a break. Naruto leaned back against a tree and peered into the darkness just beyond the trees. Shino and Hinata collapsed onto a fallen tree, and Kiba threw himself on the ground, barely jostling Akamaru. After a moment, Hinata slung her pack onto the ground in front of her and began pulling out … bento boxes? He couldn’t help the expression of surprise as she handed one to him.

 

“I made enough for all of us, Naruto,” she explained. 

 

He took in the way Kiba had instantly sat up, eagerly leaning forward and awaiting his own box. Even Shino was sitting a little straighter. He smiled. “Thanks, Hinata.”

 

They ate their lunch quickly, and then set out for the daimyo’s compound again. It was mid-afternoon when they arrived, greeted by a guard who demanded to know their business. Naruto produced a scroll from his pouch and offered it to the guard. “Uzumaki Naruto, chunin of the Leaf, and these are members of one of the village’s genin teams. We have an urgent letter for the daimyo from the Hokage.”

 

The guard examined the scroll, which bore the Hokage’s official seal. He looked up to scrutinize Naruto and Team 8. After a moment, he stepped to the side and waved them through. 

 

He bowed to the guard quickly and then lead his team in, cataloging the entrance points and the positions of the guards and layout of each room as they made their way to the daimyo’s throne room.

 

A thin man with a tired face introduced them to the room. He watched each of the guards’ faces as his name was called, but none of them reacted. Interesting…

 

He approached the daimyo slowly, both hands visible. Naruto watched his cheerful expression fall, and then with a few gestures and codewords, the guards had set up in new positions, weapons drawn and waiting. He felt the burning gaze on the back on his neck from Team 8’s stares.

 

And then there was an explosion.

 

The west wall burst inward with a shower of rubble and dust and in poured a handful of thugs. Most were wielding makeshift weapons - shovels and rakes and things like that - but a few obviously had some training. They carried blades - short swords and daggers, mostly. On their tail followed three ninja, all wearing hitai-ate bearing scratched out village symbols.

 

That was strange. There was supposed to be four. 

 

He brought his hands up, forming a familiar seal, and called out, “Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!” In an instant, the room was filled with blond ninja. He smirked.

 

The insurgents had thought they’d take a fortress. They had no idea they’d be facing an army. 

 

With the help of the daimyo’s guards, and his startled genin, most of the civilians, even the ones with some weapon training, were restrained or knocked out in a matter of minutes. The nukenin would take more effort. As the clamour died down and the civilian insurgents were carted out of the way by Naruto’s clones, he gathered Team 8 close to a few of the daimyo’s guards.

 

“Naruto, what the hell is going on?!” Kiba shouted.

 

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t warn you because we couldn’t risk you acting suspiciously and tipping off the insurgents.”

 

Suddenly a man with green hair was thrown through the hole in the wall. He was followed by Kurenai-sensei, who stood over him and stared him down. After a moment, the man began screaming, and then passed out. 

 

“Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique,” Kurenai-sensei intoned. 

 

One of the nukenin, clearly the leader, cussed. “Riku always was useless,” she drawled. 

 

“But you aren’t, are you, Nakamura of the Poison Winds?” Kakashi-sensei strolled through the hole in the wall, followed by Asuma-sensei. He paused, and glanced over at Naruto, amused to note that both Hinata and Kiba were huddling behind him. “You did well, Naruto.”

 

He grinned and nodded.

 

And then they faced Nakamura. She glared at them, and her two remaining lackies quickly fell in behind her. 

 

Shino shuffled closer to Naruto. “My beetles cannot drain her chara. It seems to be poisoning them,” he said quietly. 

 

“Focus on the other two. Stay behind Hinata.” He caught Hinata’s startled look, and spared her a reassuring smile just before the fight really began. 

 

Nakamura threw her arms out, and from within the sleeves of her trench coat billowed out a green cloud. Asuma-sensei leaned forward exhaled a gust of wind that gathered the mist and carried it back at Nakamura’s underlings. As soon at the mist engulfed them, they doubled over in hacking coughs. Nakamura gave them a disgusted look, and jerked her hand away from them, luring the mist out of Asuma’s wind. The redheaded lacky behind Nakamura examined the leaf ninja critically, one by one, until her gaze fell on Naruto and the genin behind him. She winked at him, and then threw a volley of kunai at him, all of which held little, flapping papers at the hilt and carried a hiss through the air.

 

In an instant, Naruto threw up his hands, summoning a line of shadow clone meat shields, but it wasn’t quite enough. The combination of the explosions and the dispelled clones sent up a massive puff of smoke and dust that quickly engulfed Naruto’s team. The genin were wracked with coughs almost immediately. Naruto didn’t have much time. 

 

Even as he felt the burning build up in his own lungs, an itch in his throat, he hooked Hinata and Shino’s arms over his own shoulders. A clone helped him drag Kiba out - he seemed more affected by the smoke than the other genin. Naruto made sure the clone stuck by him as he collapsed on the ground, wheezing. The jonin were fighting loudly behind him - not yet the intense firefight it could be, but still too hot for a team of weakened, sputtering genin.

 

He dropped Hinata and Shino off, still gasping and choking, and stumbled over to the wall, doubled over to catch his own breath.

 

Through bleary eyes, he watched the smoke clear to reveal Kakashi-sensei as he closed in on Nakamura and - and  _ one  _ of her followers, the redheaded chick with the explosive kunai. He searched the room wildly, looking for the other nukenin. 

 

When he found him, it felt like the world stopped for a moment. He watched the kunai arc painfully slowly toward Kiba’s chest. 

 

He had to act.

 

He broke into a sprint, ducking beneath a stray lightning jutsu the redhead had cast and then - poor Shino - he used the kneeling genin’s back as a launching pad, rolling over his shoulders and leaping forward.

 

The kunai sliced across his shoulder. It stung, of course, but Kiba was alive.

 

With an enraged snarl at what could have been, he tackled the nukenin, sending them both to the ground. They grappled, rolled around on the floor. The nukenin was inhumanly strong! He felt his already shaky breath leave him when the nukenin forced him on the ground, and then wrapped his hands around Naruto’s throat. 

 

His head made a sickening thud against the floor when the nukenin bashed his skull against the ground. He cried out and frantically patted down his leg for his pouch, slipping a kunai out. He struggled to push it between them, only for the nukenin to shift and grab hold of his wrist lightning quick with a bone shattering grip.  _ Man this guy is strong! _ Naruto thought hazily as his hand was slammed against the floor until he couldn’t hold onto the kunai any longer.

 

He struggled as desperately as he could, but he’d never felt so helpless - so  _ weak  _ \- before.

 

And then the kunai slid into his gut, just below his ribs, like a hot knife in butter. It burned - man, it burned, and every breath ached. The nukenin stood and then, with a snarl on his face, he delivered a sharp kick to Naruto’s side. 

 

When he cried out in pain, blood splattered on the ground. He rolled onto his side, desperately curling around his wound. 

  
Through the haze of pain, he heard a high pitched noise, and watched the nukenin whirl around, only to walk right onto Kakashi-sensei’s glowing fist.  _ Chidori _ . Both black and red eyes met his own with an apologetic gleam as Kakashi-sensei knelt down and carefully pulled him into his arms, but it still hurt like crazy. 

 

His head lolled off of Kakashi-sensei’s shoulders just before they stepped through the wall.

 

He saw Nakamura laying on the ground with a hole in her chest, long blonde hair forming a blood-soaked halo around her head.

* * *

 

Kakashi-sensei carried Naruto all the way back to the village. 

 

“Not the best start, huh?” He muttered deliriously, and then groaned when speaking irritated his wound.

 

“You did just fine, Naruto. The insurgents weren’t expecting that they’d have to face three jonin and an army of chunin. The daimyo is safe, and Kiba is alive because of what you did. I’m proud of you.”

 

He tucked his head into the crook of Kakashi-sensei’s neck, where the scent of wood and herbs and electric air was strongest. It was nice.

 

Kakashi’s chest rumbled against his shoulder when he chuckled. Fingers carded through Naruto’s hair in a way that he’d never really felt before. It was almost … caring. “Go to sleep, Naru-chan.” But there was something wrong about that. He couldn’t sleep until they got back to the village. Lion said so.

 

He was lucky he didn’t say that part allowed.

 

He couldn’t tell how long it took before he saw the walls of Konoha. That sight, those beautiful walls - he felt his eyes droop. He heard shouting. So many voice blending together. Until one. It rose above all the rest.

 

Iruka-sensei.

 

He opened his eyes, saw the world all bleached out, too bright. There was still a ringing in his ears. “Might have to wait awhile before we can get ramen,” he told Iruka-sensei with a pained grin when his Academy instructor appeared. Iruka made a strange noise before he laughed. 

 

“That’s alright, Naruto. When you get out of the hospital, I’ll buy you all the ramen you can eat. Just behave for the medics, ok?”

 

“No promises,” he managed.

 

He was asleep before they arrived at the hospital.

* * *

 

That night, an ANBU medic arrived at the hospital at the end of the evening shift. Her vibrantly colored Butterfly mask parted the sea of med nins that were either getting ready to go home or preparing for the night shift. She stepped into a dimly lit room where a small ninja laid, looking ridiculous wearing both a hospital gown and a porcelain mask bearing the image of a demonic rabbit. Without a word, she approached him and began to let her chakra flow. A green glow shone against the walls in the darkened room. The wound in his stomach mended quickly. When the skin had knit together, without even leaving a scar to remind them of the injury that had once been there, she relaxed. 

 

“You have exactly one hour to get to the training facility. Do not be late.” She flickered and disappeared.

  
_ Wow. Just got stabbed and I can’t even catch a break _ , Naruto thought. He quickly threw on his uniform and slipped out the window.


	5. The Rabbit in Kill Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some 15 MLA formatted pages of angsty garbage. So sorry that this is a few days late, only to be what it is. Hope you enjoy nonetheless...

Over the next month and a half, training at the ANBU General Training facility followed a strict schedule. The trainees were split up by skill level and studied a variety of subjects. The main ones were combat skills, of course, but they also covered everything from the expectations of ANBU to all the little details that could be gathered from a person’s body language. 

 

The worst part was Torture Week, though. Apparently the stories about ANBU killing themselves before being captured weren’t alway true, since ANBU were entrusted with such important jobs that it didn’t make sense for them to destroy themselves. So they learned to endure extreme pain so that they could survive being tortured without giving up anything that could compromise the village while they thought up a way to escape.

 

Naruto thought he’d probably have nightmares about Torture Week even when he was as old as the third Hokage had been.

 

On the last day of the two months of General Training, Naruto arrived at the training facility at midnight as usual. When he entered, he was surprised to see most of the trainees gathered around the door. As he approached, one of the trainees - Bear, who he guessed was around 25, maybe a little younger, and was a decent medic - looked over, then down at him, and stepped away. He gave Bear a confused look that was definitely not visible through his mask, and then slipped between the trainees in front of him to see what the big deal was. There, on the wall, were two rows of three papers each. Each one held a list of names, with a bolded word at the top.

 

The final class rankings were in.

 

Naruto was surprised to see that he had not taken dead last in genjutsu. Of course he knew he had improved over the months of remedial training - he could break most genjutsus now, and even cast a few weak ones. He was still in the bottom half of the class, of course, but still. Not dead last. He was also surprised, and pleased, to note that though he had started out at the lower end of the class in taijutsu, he’d managed to take third in the final assessment. Not only that, but he took first in kenjutsu. He chalked that up in part to the inexperience of his classmates; as Lion had said, there weren’t many ninja who practiced kenjutsu before becoming ANBU. That meant he was on level footing with his classmates. He could do surprisingly well under those circumstances, he thought wryly.

 

He was fairly high in ninjutsu, as well - he’d taken second, though he thought it was mostly due to his deep chakra reserves, which let him cast a bunch of jutsus in a row without getting tired or suffering chakra exhaustion, coupled with the way he’d managed to learn quite a few fairly quickly. Long gone were the days when he’d fostered blind over-confidence in himself - ANBU had beaten that out of him.  

 

He barely glanced at the sheet that gave class rankings for sealing - which only had seven names on it, since they were the only ones who knew seals outside the head sealing technique that all ANBU knew, and the standard packing seals for supplies - and finally he checked the Assassination Technique ranking. And then stared in horror at the name that sat in bold black ink at the top.

 

Rabbit.

 

He had always wondered what it would be like to be first in a class. He’d learned, with kenjutsu. For a moment, he’d been warm. Excited. Proud. 

 

This, though - this was a sick feeling. Sort of like drinking expired milk. He was suddenly grateful for the mask, so that none of the other trainees could see his face.

 

He was sure it was red.

 

He was still feeling sick when Lion and his assistants entered. 

 

It was time for the graduation ceremony.

 

They instructed the ANBU to stand in rows, five wide, with three or four people behind each of the ninja that made the front line, in order of overall class rank. 

 

Naruto stood at the front of the first row, and for the first time it really set in that his life would never be the same again.

 

As first in class, Naruto - what a strange thing to say - went first. He stood before the hokage in full ANBU regalia, and took in her expression the slits in his porcelain mask for the first time. She was proud, but she was sad.

 

“I am ANBU,” he proclaimed. “I am Rabbit. I swear my loyalty to the Hokage alone. Who accepts me?”

 

Before him stood five ninja, the leaders of the five branches of ANBU.  Dragon, who lead the Black Ops, and Raven, who headed the Intelligence division, stepped forward. Raven said, “We would welcome you into the T&I or Reconnaissance departments.” Dragon simply nodded. Everyone knew, at least vaguely, what those in Black Ops did.

 

He swallowed hard. Neither T&I nor Black Ops sounded particularly pleasant. But Recon… he definitely didn’t want to spend years in other villages, away from his friends, his team, the people he cared about. So they were his only options. 

 

The only real decision was, which was he more comfortable with. Torturing, or killing someone?

 

He figured, at least in T&I, he’d know why someone was in front of him. It was in the very nature of the Intelligence division to know things, and he’d have to know what he was investigating. Sometimes the ANBU who worked in Black Ops had no idea why they were being sent somewhere. 

 

But … they had choices. They had to complete their mission - unlike in normal forces, where Kakashi-sensei’s “Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash,” ideal, in Black Ops not completing a mission could lead to a war, or the deaths of everyone in an entire village. What they did wasn’t  _ fun _ , but it was  _ needed _ . And it didn’t have to be cruel. It didn’t have to be torture… 

 

He took a deep breath.

 

“I accept your offer, Dragon.”

 

“Then you belong to Black Ops. Wait here.”

 

The rest of the class performed the ceremony, proclaiming their status as new, fully initiated ANBU, and swearing their loyalty to the Hokage. Of the twenty or so ninja graduating today, almost half joined the Intelligence division, which made sense. It was the branch with the most variety of positions, and needed a lot of ninja to function. Another 5 joined the Crisis branch. Four joined the Hunter Nins, and four joined Central Command. Only one other ninja was welcomed into Black Ops. As the others accepted positions in the other divisions, they were instructed to report to other places or ANBU. Slowly, the number of people in the room dwindled, until only Rabbit, Bear, the instructors, and the Division Heads remained. 

 

Dragon examined the rest of the people in the room, and then nodded to Tsunade, who stood. “That will be all,” she said. The Division Heads body flickered away. Tiger and Monkey did as well.

 

“You may have noticed our numbers are few in Black Ops. We have no reason or time for special training. You are ANBU, now, and will work as ANBU, live as ANBU, and die as ANBU. So you will receive your first mission as ANBU tonight. Bear. Rabbit. You will be joining a senior member, Cat, on a mission in the Land of Woods. There is a village in the south, Hanzaki Ryu, which has become a shelter for a crime lord named Chikuma Gensai and his yakuza. You will assassinate Gensai, and disband the Hanzaki yakuza by any means necessary. Cat will lead this mission. You will meet her at the top of the Hokage Mountain in two hours. Dismissed.”

 

* * *

  
  


It was bloody.

 

So, so bloody. 

 

Bear and Rabbit had met up with Cat on top of the Hokage mountain as ordered, and they’d gotten straight to business. Cat already knew the skills in which they had tested well during Training, so their brief was … well, brief. 

 

“Bear, your skillset best compliments mine considering the numbers we’ll face. When we get to Hanzaki Ryu, you and I will begin weeding out the yakuza. Rabbit, you have the most critical duty of this mission: you’re responsible for the assassination of Gensai.” 

 

And with that, his fate was sealed.

 

* * *

  
  


They made good time, landing in a tree overlooking the small village by the next night’s moonlight. Without a word, Cat signaled which house she and Bear would begin in. Then they melted into the night.

 

Rabbit took a deep and then scanned the layout of the village.

 

A single, main road cut through the village running north and south. Based on the psych evaluation that the Intelligence department had put together, Rabbit was willing to bet good money that Gensai lived in the large long house at the end of that road. His narcissism told him that he deserved to have the finest things, and that included the largest house. A healthy dose of caution or paranoia meant that the building would have a well fortified guard, and Gensai’s bed chamber was likely on the top floor to satisfy both needs. 

 

The reclusive and incredibly tight knit nature of the group meant that Intelligence had been unable to procure the layout of the building. That the group was relatively new meant that they hadn’t yet been able to get an inside man into any authoritative position.

 

The one spy they’d had had been discovered weeks ago and brutally slaughtered.

 

He wondered if Gensai was a sadist, or just a control freak. His yakuza certainly enjoyed inflicting pain.

 

The citizens of Hanzaki Ryu had been living peacefully before Gensai’s yakuza showed up a few months ago and took over the small village. There were still civilians here, living in constant fear under the yakuza’s reign. Naruto wasn’t blind to the parallels between Hanzaki and Wave.

 

He could only do his best to prevent a similar ending to this mission.

 

With a final glance over the village, he leaps out of his perch and begins to make his way to his target.

 

Stealth became second nature to him in his childhood. Any good prankster knows how to sneak around, but Naruto wasn’t  _ just  _ a prankster. He had made pranking an art form. And, by consequence, he had mastered the science that was sneaking through a village guarded by elite ninja. Hanzaki Ryu, with its handful of gangsters making predictable rounds, was a cakewalk. 

 

The lights slowly went out around the village as Rabbit crept through the back streets and hidden alleys toward the large house, until only one window was still lit by candlelight. From a temporary perch on a bakery rooftop, Rabbit watched the slim form of a man who was obviously well dressed and decorated with jewels, even in silhouette, pass by that window.

 

And there he was. Chikuma Gensai.

 

The best way to do this, Rabbit decided, was quickly and as efficiently as possible. Wasting time with the guards would only slow him down and alert the yakuza to his, and by extension, Cat and Bear’s presence. No, best to eliminate Gensai, add the finishing touches, and then scram.

 

Using the improved chakra control Monkey had taught him while trying to bash the ability to create genjutsu into his brain, Rabbit quickly began crawling up the wall as soon as he arrived at the long house. He stopped just below the candle lit window, and pulled a small mirror from his weapon pouch. As discreetly as possible, he cataloged the room’s inhabitants.

 

Gensai, of course, had relaxed onto the large bed and was reading - Rabbit noted with a silent but exaggerated sigh - Jiraiya’s latest installment to the Icha Icha series.

 

Well, at least he was making Rabbit’s first mission easy on his conscience.

 

There were two guards. Collateral, unfortunately. He pocketed the mirror and took a final, deep breath to steel his nerves.

 

He popped a smoke bomb through the window and waited.

 

The instant smoke became to curl out of the window, Rabbit leapt into action. The guards had quickly drawn katanas, but they obviously hadn’t been training for months as Rabbit had. They were slow and sloppy where Rabbit was not. It was easy enough to disarm the first enemy, sending his katana flying. The thug was shocked, and attempted to throw his guard up, but before he had the chance even to take a shocked breath, Rabbit had stepped forward and stabbed right between his ribs into his lung. A wash of hot, coppery blood spilled out onto Rabbit’s hands, and he felt his grip on the hilt of his katana slip.

 

The second yakuza guard had come to his senses and tried to use Rabbit’s position, with his back to Gensai and the guard, to his advantage.

 

He wasn’t expecting Rabbit to whirl around, catching the blade of the yakuza’s katana with his metal arm guard and send him flying with a high, spinning kick. With the distance, Rabbit was able to quickly reclaim his katana. Just as the guard was stumbling to his feet, Rabbit spun and the tip of his blade slid through the flesh of the guard’s throat.

 

Blood.

 

It splattered everywhere. 

 

Naruto couldn’t help the flinch behind Rabbit’s expressionless facade as a spray of blood struck his mask when the guard went down.

 

It was all he could smell.

 

He had to finish the job.

 

He turned on Gensai, dressed in fine silk and jewels and desperate rage. “I don’t know who you are-” sorta the point of the mask… “-but I’m warning you! Leave now or you won’t live to regre-”

 

He was already so tired of monologuing. Of people who hurt others for their own gain and didn’t care. 

 

He drew his second blade. Tossed both into the air and caught them reverse-handed. Gensai started blubbering, all his false rage melting away as the blades came to rest on either side of his neck.

 

* * *

  
  


He was soaked in blood.

 

It burned against his skin through his armor and his mask. It coated his hands.

 

Kami. He had killed someone. Three people.

 

He sat in the grass by a mossy tree overlooking the village and stared blankly at the smoke that began to rise from the the long house. 

 

He flinched away from the hand that grabbed - no. That came to rest on his shoulder. Bear. It was just Bear. 

 

“Hey. Hey, Rabbit. It’s ok. You’re safe. We’re you’re team. Bear and Cat. Just put the kunai down.”

 

Kunai? What kunai? He wasn’t - he was crouched on the forest floor, brandishing a kunai before himself as if to keep enemies away. With panting, shaky breaths, he slowly lowered the kunai. 

 

Bear knelt down beside him and helped him lower himself to the ground. Hands cautiously ghosted over the areas where blood was soaked into his armor. “No injuries,” Bear reported.

 

“Good. Then it’s time to head home.”

 

Home. That was good. Once he was home, he could wash off. Wash it all away. 

 

* * *

 

Showered and off duty, he wandered.

 

He was … dull. No other way to explain it. He was just empty. He roamed the village listlessly, until he found himself in front of a grave.

 

It figured that death would only be soothed with more death.

 

He sat beside the Third Hokage’s memorial. No words passed between his lips and the air, but just like when the old man was alive, Naruto had no doubts he understood exactly why Naruto was there. He stared off into the night and tried to pick at the blood beneath his fingernails without thinking too much about it.

 

Slowly night gave way to morning. He hadn’t slept in three day, but he wasn’t tired.

 

He heard the first whisper of footsteps when the birds had just begun to wake up and sing their forever unchanging song.

 

“Naruto. What’s up?” 

 

He slowly looked up at his sensei. White hair, lean form. Mask.

 

He felt bile rise when he remembered the muted feel of blood impacting with his own mask.

 

Wasn’t Kakashi in Black Ops, before becoming a teacher? If anyone would know… But he couldn’t explain everything, of course. The mission was classified, and even if it wasn’t, his status as ANBU was. But still. 

 

The promise of … something (forgiveness, acceptance, maybe just solidarity) loosened his tongue.

 

“I knew. When I was a little kid, and the old man offered to sign me up for the Academy, I knew I’d have to. I mean. I knew ninja killed. But I had no idea it would be … like that. That it would be so awful.”

 

Kakashi’s eye went wide, and without a word he sat down beside Naruto, there in the grass by the grave of the man who set him down this path. But when Kakashi’s arm slid around his shoulders, when his fingers slid into Naruto’s hair and pulled his head into Kakashi’s chest, he thought that maybe that was alright.

 

Maybe this was how it should be.

 

Ninja were supposed to be emotionless tools at the Hokage’s disposal. Kakashi didn’t say a word when Naruto shook and silently soaked his sleeve in horrified, anguished tears. 

 

He left his hands in the grass, unwilling to risk the dried blood rubbing off on Kakashi’s vest.

 

He didn’t know how long it took for his eyes to run dry. Red and puffy, snot dripping down his lips. Disgusting. His voice cracked pathetically. Still he asked, “Sensei. Will I ever be clean again?”

 

Kakashi didn’t answer, but Naruto felt his other arm come up to wrap around him tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I add any warnings? I'm worried that assassination scene is a little too gorey?
> 
> I'm collecting some important data for my future fics ("Important data...." What is this, chem lab? Oh man, university is actually making me a scientist! XD). I'd really appreciate it if you'd all comment and answer two questions.
> 
> 1) Do you prefer first person ("I picked up the ball."), third person ("He picked up the ball."), or does it not affect your opinion of a story?
> 
> and
> 
> 2) Do you prefer stories that are in past tense ("I picked up the ball."), present tense ("I pick up the ball.") or does it not affect your opinion of the story?
> 
> Thanks a bunch to anyone who responds!


	6. Mission Gone Wrong: The Trickster ANBU Saves the Rookie Nine!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live!
> 
> So sorry for such an awfully long break. There was a lot of really heavy family stuff going on. If you're really curious, I'm not opposed to telling anyone, but it's too heavy from a pre-chapter note. 
> 
> But! It's a New Year! Happy 2019, everybody! My new schedule should give me plenty of time to write, but you should expect most updates to come on the weekend now.
> 
> Thanks to anyone who is still giving this fic a shot; if you're also waiting on the next chapter of Push, that should come out maybe tomorrow. Once again, thank you all!

“This seems an awful lot like our mission to Wave,” Sakura noted as she passed through the Western Gate, keeping an eye on the brightly colored kimono of the dignitary who they were escorting to the border with Grass.

 

“I doubt we’ll encounter any similar trouble, Sakura. Even if something does go wrong, we have Teams 8 and 10 with us this time,” Kakashi-sensei said in his mildly disinterested voice, the one that had come to mean stability and protection to the genin of Team 7. Privately, however, his thoughts turned to the blond member of his team, and the memory of the kyuubi’s chakra being unleashed, rolling over the bridge like a heavy fog as Naruto and Sasuke fought an enemy they certainly weren’t ready for.

 

He shook his head minutely to clear away the thoughts. As he’d told Sakura, they weren’t going on this mission alone. All of the rookie nine, with the exception of Naruto, who had been put on a mission only hours after being released from the hospital a few days before, were on this mission. A jonin, a chunin, and seven impressive genin should be more than enough to cover the bandits and potential political opponents that their wealthy client expected. And besides that, it was incredibly unlikely that a mission should be mislabeled as their mission to Wave had been. The Hokage had eyes and ears everywhere, and should know if there were any circumstances that called for a more skilled guard. This mission should be perfectly uneventful.

 

Later, he would think to himself that Minato-sensei must be giving him that infuriating, indulgent smile all the way from the afterlife. Nothing was ever uneventful in a ninja’s life.

 

* * *

 

“Ohayo, baa-chan! We’re back!” Naruto cried and he slid through the now-open window to the Hokage’s office.

 

“Didn’t I lock that window, Shizune? I’m pretty sure I locked that window.”

 

“I’m so sorry, Hokage-sama. I’d have thought that certain people would have learned how to behave properly since their promotion, but I see I was mistaken…” Iruka fretted.

 

“Yes. I’m certain that I locked it just this morning after the little frog delivered his message.”

 

“Gamatatsu is a toad, baa-chan, not a frog. And I really wouldn’t recommend saying that around Bunta. He  _ eats  _ people.”

 

“Ehh, the brat got us in a little faster. I don’t see a problem, personally. Not like you were doing anything that a respectable Hokage shouldn’t be, right Tsunade-sama?” Anko grinned and she bit off the last ball of dango - when had she gotten that? They’d just gotten back to the village… - and used the stick to point towards the drawer which contained all of Tsunade’s mind-and-sanity preserving secrets. 

 

Tonton contributed a chagrined, “Oink!”

 

“Anyway, I’m pleased to report that our totally awesome team was able to achieve complete success! The target was captured and is currently getting settled in with Ibiki and a particularly mouthy - ha!- frog down in T&I.”

 

“Toad!”

 

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose, and spared a moment to ponder the wisdom of ever using this particular squad again. “Glad to hear it. Dismi-”

 

Pakkun leapt in through the still-open window. Tsunade frowned, recognizing Kakashi’s main summon, and leaned forward as Pakkun quickly explained, “Problem with the teams out near Grass, Hokage-sama. The client was captured by a local yakuza boss who’s been picking up more power since a rival was recently assassinated. The entire village is under constant watch from the boss’s gang, pretty much the whole village has been taken hostage. The boss is demanding millions of ryo for the release of the Copycat nin and the three genin teams. The client was able to direct the team to a safehouse, but there’s no way a bunch of genin are getting out of there. Kakashi is requesting ANBU assistance.”

 

Tsunade nodded sharply. “Dismissed,” she snapped at the team still standing in her office.

 

Iruka and Anko hurried out of the office, though Iruka ended up pulling Naruto out but the neck of his vest.

 

As soon as the door shut behind him, he turned to Iruka. “The Hokage will send ANBU to help them, Naruto,” Iruka said, though he knew that wasn’t what his former student wanted to hear. It wasn’t,  _ ‘Don’t worry,’ _ or  _ ‘They’ll be alright.’  _ because he knew better than to offer empty platitudes to a shinobi.

 

He knew better. It didn’t help Iruka deal with the haunted look he saw in his student’s gaze, though.

 

Without a word, Naruto disappeared.

 

* * *

 

Rabbit shunshined into the office in the middle of Tsunade’s quick explanation, and ignored Lion’s unimpressed gaze. 

 

Well, stance, really. Because mask. But he could just tell that Lion wasn’t happy with him.

 

“Remove the threat and get our ninja out of there alive,” Tsunade finished quickly. The ANBU bowed, quickly and synchronized. And then they launched themselves out of that still-open window.

 

“Spending more time with Hatake lately?” Bear teased and they leapt over the gate and plunged into the dark forests.

 

“As much as I admire the man,” Rabbit retorted quickly, “I can’t say that I have. Extenuating circumstances kept me from reporting immediately, however I was already aware of the situation.”

 

“Enough. We don’t have time for in-fighting,” Lion snapped. “We don’t have an accurate estimate of the numbers we’re facing. Expect the worst. Once we’ve located our comrades, a plan can be made to deal with the situation. Rabbit, you’re my second for this mission. I expect the best from the ANBU topping the Hokage’s Kill Catalogue.”

 

Cat made a sound like she was sucking her own teeth. No one liked a reminder that the village’s best assassin was a skinny adolescent, no matter how much he must have matured being amongst the Masked ones.

 

“Understood, taicho.”

 

* * *

 

The village to which the ANBU travelled wasn’t overly large or small. It was fairly wealthy, although that seemed to carry a silent ‘for now’ that weighed on the citizens who lived there, expressed only in the cold gazes that a few daring folk were willing to shoot the way of the yakuza who loitered in front of stores and at street corners, gleaming katanas and tattooed arms bared for the world to see. All in all, apart from the suddenly thriving underbelly, it was rather average. Had the yakuza the sense to lay low, as the drug cartel which previously controlled the region had, they might have enjoyed a few years’ free reign here. Luckily for the civilians, the boss, a moron by the name of Hamada, had more greed than brains. 

 

It was only a matter of time and a blade in the dark.

 

There were few trees or other structures in the grasslands that surrounded the village, but the tall grasses which the region was named for would provide enough cover for the ANBU to slip past the first few buildings that marked the edge of the village. They carefully observed the yakuza that patrolled the streets. Most were run-of-the-mill thugs with little training, but a few carried themselves as if they actually had half an idea how to use the weapons strapped to their persons. There were more than enough to cause trouble for the single jonin, who would have had to fend them off while protecting his small horde of genin, but the ANBU had no such responsibility at the moment. They would be easy enough to dispatch, if needed.

 

With a small gesture from Lion, the squad of ANBU slipped through the night-cloaked streets.

 

* * *

 

“I’m surprised you managed to find this amount of trouble without that loud-mouthed blond one.” Rabbit said conversationally once the ANBU team was gathered in the unassuming home the genin and Hatake had been sequestered away in. He examined the gleaming blade of his tanto casually as he spoke.

 

He didn’t know why he said it.

 

That was a lie. Sort of.

 

He’d never felt more accepted than when he finally joined ANBU. When everyone was wrapped in anonymity, no expectations outside of ‘do your job,’ it was easy for Naruto to fit in, for the first time in his life. No one cared who he was beneath the porcelain of his mask.

 

“Keep talking like that about our comrade, and you might find some trouble yourself.”

 

That voice. He turned with lifted brows to stare at Sasuke from behind his mask, sure that his shock was obvious even with his mask. He can feel Cat and Bear looking at him curiously, most likely more wondering how he’ll react to Sasuke’s response than really caring about the snide comment. Since being Masked, and being acknowledged for his personality and skills, he’d grown a strong distaste for a lot of the colorful things he used to cling to, always demanding attention, always making a joke of everything. 

 

More and more it felt like he was actually wearing a mask every time he donned his orange jumpsuit. And yet … it was that overly cheerful personality which Sasuke defended… 

 

A bubble of surprised laughter escaped him without permission.

 

It wasn’t so much that he was amused by Sasuke’s threat - even though everyone knew ANBU were the best shinobi in the village, so renowned that even most standard jonin gave them a respectful berth on the streets, and certainly far above a mere genin - so much as it was the simple, surprising pleasure of realizing that someone was willing to stand up for you. Sure, he and Sasuke had been getting along better since Wave, but to defend him, to an ANBU?

 

Lion cleared his throat. “Hatake, explain what happened.”

 

“Sure. We had no trouble at all while travelling. We weren’t surprised to note the presence of yakuza when we arrived; we were hired to protect the client, Yuuto, from local thugs and political opponents until he could be transferred to the watch of a personal guard. Problems arose when we reached Yuuto’s home, however. Immediately we could detect signs of a battle. When we entered the manor, we realized Yuuto’s entire guard had been slain. That was when Hamada’s enforcer, a ronin named Kouga, introduced himself. He claimed to be there to collect protection money, which the guard wouldn’t pay. Of course, I and my team protected Yuuto when Kouga attacked. That was what caused him to recognize me. Now he wants to kill both Yuuto, for not paying protection money, and me, for my bounty. He seems to have some skill in ninjutsu, and of course is an excellent swordsman, but he was unprepared for the skill and teamwork of the genin, which allowed us to escape. We noticed the yakuza increase their numbers on patrol within the hour. Being a high ranking member of this branch of the yakuza, we can expect Kouga to bring a small army the next time he makes a move.”

 

Lion hummed and crossed his arms. “Then we won’t give him a chance to make a move. Rabbit?”

 

Rabbit stood from where he’d been cleaning his already immaculate blade and, without a word, disappeared in a swirl of wind.

 

“Where’d he go?” Ino asked.

 

“He’ll … deal with the problem,” Cat said delicately.

 

“You mean he’ll assassinate Kouga.” This came from Sasuke, voice flat.

 

“If he can, then yes,” Lion replied bluntly. “If not, then he’ll eliminate as many of the yakuza in Hamada’s compound as he can. Either way, he’ll try to clear the streets of those thugs so that your team can escape as soon as possible.”

 

“And you’re not going with him?” Shikamaru asked sceptically.

 

“No. Rabbit is the best assassin in the Hokage’s service. His approach will depend on the situation, and could change at the enemy’s slightest action; we’d just slow him down or get in his way.”

 

“How troublesome.”

 

“Don’t tell me you’re worried about that sadistic creep,” Bear teased. “Lion is telling the truth - Rabbit is the best there is at what he does. I’m sure he’s doing fine - probably having the time of his life, actually,” he finished dryly.

 

* * *

 

Rabbit was not doing fine.

 

He glanced around at the shocked group of yakuza he’d fallen, quite literally, into the center of.

 

“Um… delivery?”

 

The yakuza readied their weapons.

 

* * *

 

“You called your squadmate sadistic.” 

 

Bear glanced up at the genin who had spoken, an Aburame if the heavy coat and glasses were anything to go by. 

 

“Sure. He’s got a nasty liking for some pretty mean pranks.”

 

A single brow arched behind dark lenses. “Hey, don’t judge. I’m not talking run of the mill stuff like switching out the sake for dishwater. This guy would probably switch the sake with rotgut and laugh as his allies writhed in pain. He always knows when you’ve got an important meeting, and he’ll steal your equipment and hide it in the worst places, like the back of the Inuzuka kennels. Plus he’s got this habit of just sneaking up on people when he’s got to talk to them and waiting until they give themselves a heart attack when they finally notice him before he speaks.”

 

“You say he would enjoy the pain of his allies, yet the examples you gave do not indicated a personality taken by cruelty, merely mischief. Has he ever harmed a comrade?”

 

“Well, no. I’m not saying he’s been deliberately evil or anything like that - not yet at least. Just that he get some sick amusement from situations that other people wouldn’t.”

 

“Yet you trust him.”

 

“The Hokage does. For the moment, I’d say I do, too.  But people who do the things he does, they see a lot. It changes ‘em. And he’s on a level that very few other people have been. Not many of ‘em turned out right.”

 

“I see. So your words actually come from your concern for your teammate. Why? Because you are worried that his duties will have a negative effect on his psyche.”

 

“Uh… yeah. But for now, I guess he hasn’t done anything to deserve me being mean to him like I have been. And I’m not the only one who’ll be keeping an eye on him.”

 

“Your other teammates seemed confident in him.”

 

“True. As far as his skills go, I’m not concerned. Rabbit can handle himself.”

 

* * *

 

Rabbit crept down a dimly lit hallway, barely noticing the slight limp from the stinging gash on the back of his thigh, when he heard a snarl. He turned, and paled beneath his mask.

 

“Is that… some sort of war dog?”

 

The creature's saliva dripped to the floor. Its lips pulled back over sharp teeth while it took a single menacing step forward.

 

"Yep. I regret everything. Every single life choice ever."

 

* * *

 

Rabbit returned, covered in blood. He shunshined right into the middle of the den where everyone had been waiting in tense silence. He knelt and seemed to fall into a trance as he ran through a personal ritual, cleaning his blade quietly. After a moment, Bear called, “Rabbit?” 

 

Rabbit did not look away from his blade. He said, in a flat voice, “There was more than twenty guards. And a war dog. A war. Dog. Bear?” His voice dropped, taking on quite the frightening, cold tone. “I don’t like getting messy.”

 

After a few moments of awkward silence, accented by the soft brush of a cloth over Rabbit's blade and the cloying scent of rust, Kakashi caught the eyes of his genin and Shikamaru, and with a tilt of his head, he led them back up to the bedrooms.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke rose from his bedroll late that night at the insistent shuffle of feet. He frowned as he watched shadows creep past the door to the room he shared with the Nara and Akimichi who were, coincidentally, absent.

 

Really, there was no reason why he shouldn’t just roll over and go back to sleep. They had four ANBU and a jonin on that same level under the roof, and were potentially facing a hard battle soon. He should get some rest. He should not be curious about whatever inane thing had grabbed the fleeting attention of his peers. After a moment, though, he sighed and stood. 

 

He snuck down and joined the rest of the group at the top of the stairs silently, just as he heard the murmur from the leader of the ANBU squad, Lion, asking where Rabbit, the assassin, was.

 

Bear snorted. “Who knows, probably eating the villagers or butchering the local Yakuza.”

 

“Bear! He’s not a monster!” The female ANBU, Cat, cried out

.

“Maybe not, but he scares me. Honestly, twelve and in ANBU - during peacetime no less. This isn’t a place for kids! He’s growing up being taught that he’s good at killing. Better at it than anything else. What’s that gotta do to a kid’s head?” The rookie nine exchanged surprised glances. Sasuke was sure they were all thinking the same thing. 

 

Twelve years old - the same age as them - and already in ANBU, an assassin. Even Kakashi wasn’t in ANBU until he was 13. He had learned and accepted that there were people more skilled than him when team 7 faced Haku in Wave, then again during the chunin exams. But to be so far ahead… The boy behind the Rabbit mask would be able to face Itachi on level ground, Sasuke was sure of it. He felt a fire light in his chest, like preparing for his strongest katon jutsu. He would get stronger, he thought, fists clenched at his side.

 

Cat’s voice floated up the stairs as she responded to Bear’s concerns.“Kakashi turned out fine,” she said.“Besides, would you have prefered he go into Interrogation? Hokage-sama insisted that his skills be put to use, and he wanted to stay close to home.”

 

“Obviously I don’t want a kid torturing people. But you saw him at the start of GT. He was practically a pacifist - oh sure, he wanted to fight, but he didn’t want to kill. He was horrified when he saw he was first in Kill Class. And maybe Kakashi didn’t go rogue, but he’s the exception that proves the rule. In fact, he’s sleeping just down the hall from the result of children being raised this way.”

 

“You’re talking about the Uchiha,” Lion cut in monotonously. A curl of resentment curled up in Sasuke as the other present members of the Rookie 9 tried to look at him covertly. “I admit, Rabbit does remind me of Itachi, sometimes. A similar attitude. What happened was ... surprising. He always held a profound love and respect for the village. I can’t imagine what caused him to - ah, welcome back, Rabbit.”

 

Rabbit materialized out of the shadows, and from a mirror near the base of the stairs they were able to see him sitting in the window sill. He said in a cool tone, “Hamada’s forces are weakened, but he still has a presence in the village. The ronin, Kouga, survived my assault on the compound and it appears Hamada’s death has martyred him to the remaining yakuza. We should send the genin packing and finish this in the morning. Make a show of it. Bolster the courage of the local militia.”

 

He leaned his head back against the window and kicked his legs childishly for a moment before speaking again. “Does that work for you, Hatake?”

 

“Aa.” The genin and Shikamaru jumped and turned to see Kakashi kneeling down behind them, having also apparently gotten caught eavesdropping.

 

“Then it’s settled. You’ll leave at dawn.”

 

* * *

 

That was the plan, at least.

 

The rookie nine were cut off as they slipped through the streets behind Hatake like metal and oil scented ducklings. Three yakuza dressed in silky black hakama and gaping haori, wearing katana slung on their hips turned the corner and right into the genin. With widening eyes and a cruel grin, the one with blue hair brought his fingers to his lips and let out a series of piercing whistles. In a matter of minutes, a whole horde of ronin and yakuza descended on them.

 

“What’s the deal?” Kiba shouted as the genin bunched in close and took up defensive positions. “I thought that ANBU took care of these guys.”

 

Sasuke grunted. “Obviously there were more,” he murmured.

 

Shikamaru sighed. “How troublesome. Snap at each other later.”

 

Hatake watched in pleased silence as the genin and Shikamaru worked together fluidly. Of course team 10 had their standard combinations, but it was good to see Sasuke fry a small group of thugs to a crisp after Shikamaru had caught them in his shadows, or see Hinata sweep in to disable to yakuza that Ino had taken over with her clan’s Mind-Body Transfer jutsu.

 

The yakuza were many in number, but honestly except for the few ronin amidst their ranks, they simply weren’t skilled enough to pose any trouble to the ninja. 

 

Of course, as he thought this, he spied a blade flying through the air. Hinata cried out, “Sasuke-san!” even though she wasn’t facing him at all. He quickly snapped the arm of the ronin he’d been toying with and began to sprint for his student, but even as he did so he knew he’d be too late. 

 

And then there was a flash. Of … black? 

 

Kakashi skidded to a halt as the blade of a katana punctured the air in front of his stomach and followed it back to the offhand of the ronin, who was now face to face with the ANBU Cat, who had redirected the blade’s potentially fatal thrust. Bear, who stood behind the ronin, delivered a staggering hand chop to the back of his neck, and he went down.

 

Kakashi turned back to his student, and could have gone woozy himself from relief.

 

The assassin, Rabbit, slouched casually before Sasuke, holding the blade he’d plucked from the air delicately between two fingers. He inclined his head to the ronin who’d thrown the blade, and then, so quickly that even the sharingan could barely keep up, Rabbit crossed the distance between the two.

 

“I believe this is yours?” He tucked the blade neatly into the pocket inside the ronin’s haori. Then his hand closed around the ronin’s throat.

 

“Hamada is dead. Kouga will be before sunset. I suggest you find a new meal ticket.”

 

The few yakuza who survived, fled.

 

Lion nodded cordially to the group. “We will see you in Konoha.”

 

* * *

 

“I’d still love to know who Rabbit is,” Ino said.

 

“Of course you would, you incorrigible gossip,” Sasuke muttered under his break, though Kakashi would bet only he and maybe Shikamaru heard, though he looked to be asleep on his feet as he ran alongside them.

 

Shino said, “I suspect we must. Why? Because the other ANBU said that Rabbit was our age. This means it is likely that we attended Academy with him. Why? Because no children have been rushed through the Academy since the end of the Third Shinobi War. Rabbit must have been a member of our class, or a single year ahead of or behind us.”

 

Shikamaru frowned. “The only member of our class who graduated, and was on a team that passed the genin test, who isn’t here, is Naruto. No offense to the guy, but I don’t see him being an ANBU. He barely got a vest, and he’s not exactly assassin material.”

 

“Then Rabbit must be from the year ahead of us! Oh, Hinata! It’s not Neji, is it? That’d be so cool!” Ino squealed.

 

“Troublesome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out a lot longer than I expected. Also, I hadn't planned on ending it like that, but I've been reading a bunch of fanfictions, when I have the chance, that have been showing Naruto interacting with the other genin a lot more and I was really trying to emphasize their personalities. Shino got a few good moments here, and hopefully Sasuke and Ino weren't too out of character. 
> 
> When I wrote Shikamaru's line, sort of explaining why Naruto couldn't be Rabbit, I practically heard his voice in my head saying it. That line was written before I even really knew I was typing.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.


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